A Little Piece of Konoha
by Cap'n Green
Summary: ONESHOT Sabaku no Gaara has come to take a bride from Konoha for diplomatic reasons, and also some more personal reasons. What happens when Lady Tsunade forces Sakura to be the tour service?


Disclaimer: I owe NONE of the content here, other than the story itself. This is all property of something-something Kishimoto.

A Little Taste of Konoha

A One-Shot Fanfiction by Kilik Saiyaku-The Green Man

Sakura had been out grocery shopping at the local market in the village when an ANBU agent arrived, telling Sakura she had been summoned by the Godaime, Lady Tsunade Senju. Sakura, although not thoroughly surprised that the Hokage would summon her, seeing as she had been the Hokage's apprentice for a while now, grumbled something about timing. Sakura walked to the man who was selling the apple she had in her hand and bought it for a ryo. She put the bag back she had planned on using, since the apple was the only thing she had gotten. She took a bite, wondering what the hokage could want her for.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in!" A female voice yelled, before Sakura entered the Hokage's chambers. She stopped in her tracks, seeing the Kazekage there, Sabaku no Gaara. (Gaara of the Desert.) She turned a deep red, as he was a stranger, she wasn't comfortable eating around strangers. She swallowed the mouthful of apple, turning red as the Kazekage turned around to look at her. His jade eyes met her emerald ones, locking on. She blushed even more furiously at that. Lady Tsunade noticed and a devilish grin lit up her features.

"Ah, Sakura! Just in time! Our kind Kazekage here has come to the village for diplomatic. With your consent, I would like to tell mine pupil about the mission." Tsunade said, at first addressing Sakura, before talking to the Kazekage. The Kazekage merely nodded, before placing his fingertips together in front of him.

Sakura side-stepped to the trash-can, tossing the rest of the apple away. Her stomache gave a protest, before it shut up. She walked to the seat at the side of Lady Tsunade's desk, listening intently. 'It must be important if the Hokage wants me to know.' Sakura thought to herself, crossing her legs, before setting a pad of paper down on her lap, grabbing a pencil from the Hokage's desk. It was something Sakura commonly did when she was listened in on another's mission, was to take notes.

Tsunade nodded, before going on.

"Sakura, I'm sure you know who this man here is. Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage." Tsunade said, raising her voice to make Gaara's name sound more grand, which didn't seem to affect the redhead at all. The name did force Sakura to look at him again, before going red and looking down. 'Kami, what's wrong with me? I'm acting like a school girl.' She mentally berated herself, before turning back to Lady Tsunade.

"Sakura, as you may know, Kazekage Gaara isn't married, and his country has strong ties to Konohagakure. Well, the council has been nagging him enough, causing him to finally snap. He is being forced to take a bride within the year." Tsunade said, letting her words take effect, before continuing.

"He is here, because he's to take some lucky woman to Sunagakure with him to be his wife." Tsunade said, letting the words sink in, waiting expectantly.

"Okay…why is he here to obtain a bride?" Sakura asked, confused and slightly blushing. The whole time, her hand had never ceased moving, writing down the notes she thought may be useful to them later.

"Because, it is to help strengthen the bond between Suna and Konoha. He is to take a wife from Konoha, as the next Hokage after me will take a partner from Suna." Tsunade said, slightly saddened at the thought of losing a woman from Konoha who may be useful.

Sakura nodded her face red at the prospect of being taken to Suna, before placing her pencil down and asking cooly,

"So why am I here?"

Tsunade looked dumbstruck as if the question wasn't obvious. In a sense it wasn't, though, as what Tsunade had in mind was way different than what Sakura was thinking.

"Well, you are to show him around, introduce him to a few girls, and by the end of the day he will make his decision. I don't know if you'd noticed or not, but he's been here a few days now, and this will be his last." Tsunade said, before standing up and placing her hands onto the desk, leaning over.

"Sakura, I am assigning this as an A-rank mission. Do as much as you can to help him around and introduce him." Tsunade said sternly, before shooing her off.

"Now go. Why don't you start with some of the female Shinobi? I'm sure they seem attractive to Lord Kazekage here." Tsunade said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Sakura nodded and stood, before walking over to Gaara.

"Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, I am Haruno Sakura, and I will be your guide. It is a pleasure to meet you." Sakura said, avoiding making eye-contact, holding her notepad with both hands. Gaara nodded, before standing up.

"And I am Sabaku no Gaara, Third Kazekage of Sunagakure. I will be your charge. " He said, before pushing in his chair behind him and walking to the door.

"I'll expect to hear of your success tonight at 8 pm sharp." Tsunade said sternly, before sitting down. The last thing she heard as Sakura closed the door was,

"Ugh, I need some Sake…"

Sakura giggled at this, before walking forward. She had already had the route planned out, so she decided it best to explain it to Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama, I figure I will take you to the training grounds, then circle around to the market district, then to the shopping district, then at last to the park, before coming back. How does that sound?" Sakura quipped happily. Gaara nodded, before saying,

"Fine. And you may call me Gaara."

Sakura turned red, before nodding.

"Okay then, let's go."

Gaara nodded, before heading off.

At the training grounds were 10 shinobi who were playing, laying, or talking to each other. Sakura smiled, seeing all of her friends. She walked down, the hesitant Kazekage walking after. She reached the ground, and noticed everyone. Naruto and Hinata cuddling and leaning against a tree, Hinata giggling as she fed Naruto ramen from a bowl, Neji with Tenten in his arms as he watched the birds. Akamaru sitting on the ground next to Tenten, who would pet him every once in a while, and Kiba arguing with Rock Lee about the Flames of Youth. There was also Ino, who was sitting hand in hand with Chouji, arguing with Rock Lee about the flames of youth. Shino was gone, it seemed, while Shikamaru and Temari were laying on the ground, Shikamaru watching the clouds while Temari rested her head on his chest.

"Hey guys." Sakura said calmly, before Ino cooed.

"Oh Sak-u-ra! Who's the hottie?" Ino asked, earning a glare from Chouji, which he shifted to Gaara.

"Oh, uh, him? He's kind of..the, uh, Kazekage of Sunagakure." Sakura said, looking down and turning red. At this news, Chouji relaxed, and Ino got a look of abject horror on her face at what she just said.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry Lord Kazekage. Please forgive me." She said, her hand tightening on the one Chouji wasn't eating with.

Rather than accept her apology, Gaara's head turned to Naruto's.

"Naruto, I haven't seen you in a while." He said coolly, watching him get fed by Hinata. At those words, Hinata dropped the noddle back into the broth, before looking at Naruto in awe. Naruto gently moved aside, before standing up and running to Gaara.

"Gaara, old buddy! How have ya' been?" He asked enthusiastically, as he enveloped Gaara into a hug, to which the Kazekage was obviously uncomfortable.

"What are you guys here for, Sakura?" Naruto asked, curious as to why his newest best friend was here. Well, he had become Naruto's best friend other than Sakura after Sasuke had been executed. Sakura shook her head, before saying,

"I'm sorry Naruto, but that's on a need-to-know basis only." Sakura said, before adding,

"Personal reasons."

A look of realization came upong his face, before Naruto grinned devilishly.

"Ahh, Gaara, come to find a good girl from Konoha? Who will you be taking? Hopefully not Ino-chan, Chouji's got her. And I've got Hinata, and Neji has Tenten. So...who will you be taking?" Naruto asked, before his grin came back.

"You old dog! It makes perfect sense! Your haircolor is nearly the same and everything! You're taking Sakura!" Naruto yelled, which in turn made both Gaara and Sakura blush, the latter more profusely. Naruto nudged, his grin widening.

"Oh, I knew it! I had a thing for her not too long ago, also. Next to my Hina-hime, she's the prettiest girl in the village!" Naruto said, which earned two rocks thrown at him by Tenten, Neji, Chouji, and Ino. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, moaning, as they all struck the back.

"What? It's the truth!" He stated, before getting knocked out altogether by the rocks.

Hinata squeaked, before running over to Naruto, who's eyes had taken on a swirling pattern, his mouth open. Sakura smacked her head, before saying,

"No, it's nothing like that at all! I was just requested by the Hokage to show him around!" She said, a vein pulsing on her forehead, and a blush darkening her cheeks. The other Shinobi nodded as if they didn't believe it, before carrying on.

The noise the three had made was enough to wake up Temari, who yawned, before standing up and noticing Gaara. Her face went red, a guilty smile coming to her face.

"Ah...Little Brother...didn't expect to see you here so soon." The ambassador for Suna said. Gaara looked coldly at Temari, before she sighed, and said,

"Okay, okay. I was just sleeping on my boy- Shikamaru-kun- Mr. Nara's chest, but I just HAPPENED to fall asleep there." She said, expecting him to believe it.

Gaara couldn't really care less though, so long as the Nara Heir didn't cause his sister to become pregnant anytime soon. Gaara walked over, and sat next to a tree.

"I am going to take a short nap. Please wake me up at seven o'clock." Gaara stated, before leaning against the tree.

"You can sleep now? I thought the Shukaku prevented you from gaining sleep." Neji Hyuuga questioned.

Gaara nodded, as what Neji's question had been true at one point.

"The Akatsuki have taken the Shukaku from me, which Elder Chiyo gave her life to bring me back from the dead from. After that, I was able to sleep without fear of the bijuu taking control." Gaara said, taking obvious pleasure from being able to see he was able to sleep now.

Sakura, taking Gaara's example, went and sat next to him, against a tree.

"So Kaz-Gaara-chan, why did you decide to come to Konoha?" Sakura asked curiously, staring at the sky.

Gaara also looked up, before responding,

"Because I've had my eye set on somebody for a while now...ever since about four and a half years ago, maybe five." Gaara said, looking to Sakura, which she didn't notice, before looking back at the sky.

Sakura nodded. It couldn't be her. She hadn't met him until the Chuunin exams, which had been seven years ago. She sighed, slightly depressed. She looked over, and noticed Gaara's eyes had closed. Temari had resumed her sleep, and so had nearly everyone else, save for Rock Lee and Kiba, who had gone off somewhere else it appeared. That usually happened. Kiba and Lee would argue, then walk off and be buddy-buddy together by getting ramen or soba.

Sakura stretched, before settling into a comfortable position. Seven o'clock. That was quite a bit of time, seeing as it was only four. But that's alright. One hour as all it took for Sakura to show him the four different areas. Well, three now considering they were already at the park. Sakura looked to the sky, before her eyes started drooping. Sakura struggled to keep them up, but in the end it was to no avail. She fell asleep there.

Gaara woke up at seven o'clock exactly, knowing somehow he should be up. He looked to his right, feeling something heavy on his shoulder. He saw that Sakura had also fallen asleep and was now laying her head on his shoulder. He went a bit red, before tapping her. She jolted awake and accidentally headbutted Gaara.

"Oof! Oh, Gaara-sama, are you okay?" She asked, concern in her voice.

Gaara shook his head, as his cracked forehead started repairing itself. Sakura realized it was the sand armor that had been covering Gaara's forehead, _'Just like at the Chuunin exams.' Sakura thought to herself. She shook her head, before realizing it was seven thirty. Gaara hadn't woken her up until a half-hour after she herself had awoken. She jumped up, feeling the urgency for time. _

_"Gaara-same...it's seven-thirty. I doubt we'll make it to the Market or Shopping district, but I CAN quickly take you to the park." She said, before he nodded. Sakura grabbed his hand, which the sand shield did not prevent for some reason , and dragged him to the Park at a speed Rock Lee and Might Gai would be proud of. They reached there in fifteen minutes, before Sakura started slowing down. _

_They stopped, Sakura panting, at the park, where Shino was sitting on a lone bench. They walked to an overhang, which hung over the river below them, the concrete looking as if it would fall any moment but also looking very new. She looked over at Gaara, who had been staring at her but stared away. Sakura wiped a little sweat off of her eyebrow, before saying with shortened breath,_

_"Beautiful..huff...scenery...huff huff...huh?" _

_Gaara nodded, then turned his gaze to her again, before looking at the water. Once Sakura stood straight, she turned to Gaara. _

_"So, in this short amount of time, have you found anybody?" Sakura asked, her heart sinking a little, knowing she wouldn't be picked._

_Gaara nodded, a faint blush coming to his cheeks._

_"Yes. Only if you will marry me." He said, holding out the small box._

_Sakura hadn't noticed the box, and was staring at the water. _

_"Ah, well, I heard she was nice and all, I'm sure she'll make a nice...did you mean me?" Sakura asked bewildered? Gaara nodded, before getting on one knee and putting the ring over her ring finger._

_"Haruno Sakura, I first met you at the Chuunin Exams five to six years ago, well, attacked would be more correct, but anyway. I came to the village every few months after that to see you, but I had never worked up the courage. Well, I've worked up the courage now. Haruno Sakura, will you marry me?" He asked, snapping the box shut. Sakura looked at the ring, before turning her gaze to Gaara. _

_"Seven." _

_Confused, Gaara looked at her with a questioning gaze. _

_"Seven years now. Seven days as of last week. I have counted every day after meeting you, wishing to work up the courage...of course I'll marry you." Sakura said, tears starting to fall from her eyes, as she leaned down and enveloped Gaara in a kiss as passionate as any he had received. Thus began the first night of the relationship between Haruno Sakura, now Sabaku no Sakura, and Sabaku no Gaara._


End file.
